Featured Stories

My Writing Journey: Announcing the Publication of my First Novel, Travails of a Trailing Spouse [Part 5]

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My name is Stephanie Chen and I am a 2nd generation Taiwanese American. Like many of my peers, I followed a prescribed path towards success: studied hard, got good grades, went to an Ivy League college. I studied finance and after graduation, started a job at a top-tier investment bank. I then joined an investment fund, where I eventually became a partner. However, if you had asked me when I was in the 6th grade what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would have said "a writer”. In early 2017,…

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Harvest Moons and Autumn Flowers

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"I don’t know how the moon looked where you were last night, but from the curb where I stood, a few paces away from the auto repair shop and the two men tamping down the embers of their barbecue, the moon was round and luminous and haunting, and it glowed even through the quick-flitting clouds. Last night’s moon-gazing was for the Mid-Autumn Festival. That means it’s fully autumn, and it’s time to unveil a project I’ve been working on for the past year." About 12 hours after Kevin…

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My Writing Journey: After the Phone Call [Part 4]

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My name is Stephanie Chen and I am a 2nd generation Taiwanese American. Like many of my peers, I followed a prescribed path towards success: studied hard, got good grades, went to an Ivy League college. I studied finance and after graduation, started a job at a top-tier investment bank. I then joined an investment fund, where I eventually became a partner. However, if you had asked me when I was in the 6th grade what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would have said "a writer”. In early 2017,…

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Five Ways I Understand my Parents Differently Since Becoming a Mom

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By Evita Wong Reprinted with permission from her blog: Mom, Take One I’ve pretty much always been close with my mom and my dad. I never really went through a notable rebellious phase in my teen years, and my mom has always described my personality as a kid as “xi nai,” or “adorably affectionate” in Taiwanese (I may be adding the “adorably” part). So, of course, I’ve always known that they love my sister and me. But, since having Emmy and experiencing how my heart comes close…

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Advantage, Team Taiwan: Jason Jung–Men’s Tennis Gold

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"Sports" is not what usually comes to mind first when people think about Taiwan, but in August, thousands of student athletes landed in Taiwan to compete in the 2017 Summer Universiade, hosted in Taipei and the surrounding municipalities. Taiwan ranked 3rd at the competition with 90 medals, including 26 gold medals! TaiwaneseAmerican.org's Eric Kao chatted with Taiwanese American tennis player Jason Jung who competed for Taiwan at the Universiade and did quite well for himself. Read on! *…

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Who Is Arthur Chu? Villain, Hero, or Anti-Hero?

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In 2014, I spoke with filmmaker Yu Gu (顾雨) and her co-director, Scott Drucker, as they were gearing up to follow Arthur Chu for his appearance in the Tournament of Champions on Jeopardy! as a part of their documentary, Who is Arthur Chu?. The film centers on this fellow Taiwanese American, who translated his notoriety from the game show into a being a critical voice on issues of social justice and pop culture. After following the film’s progress, I drove up on a rainy day to speak with Gu…

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9 Beef Noodle Soup Restaurants to Try While Your Child is at Summer Camp in Taipei

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When your kids are at Mandarin Daily News (國語日報) or NTNU (師大) learning Chinese all day, and you are craving a good bowl of beef noodle soup, where will you go? Here’s a list of nine beef noodle soup restaurants located within walking distance of these camps (on the border of Taipei’s Zhongzheng and Da'an districts). Our reviewer doesn’t claim to be an expert, but beef noodle soup is his favorite food! Prices current as of July 2017. Be sure to check out the companion…

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When the World Met Taiwan: A Taiwanese Opera

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In the 17th century, the Dutch East & West India Companies launched their simultaneous exploration of the Americas and Asia. While the Dutch West India Company built "New Amsterdam" on Manhattan Island, New York, "Fort Zeelandia" was established in today’s Tâilâm (Tainan in Mandarin), Taiwan under the rule of the Dutch East India Company. When The World Met Taiwan "Koeh Hoâi-it" is a Broadway-style Taiwanese Opera that tells the story of a historical turning point of different ethnic groups…

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Summer Language Camps in Taiwan: Five Firsthand Accounts

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Thinking of sending your children to Taiwan to study Chinese but don’t know where to begin? In this article, we profile five Taiwanese-American families, detailing their language-learning goals, which camps they chose, and their recommendations and tips for others looking to do the same. (Side note: If you’re in Taiwan and have time to kill while your kid is at camp, read this article: 9 Beef Noodle Soup Restaurants to Try While Your Child is at Summer Camp in Taipei) First-Timers - Cathy Cathy…

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A Canon of Our Own: Q&A with Michelle Kuo, Author of Reading with Patrick

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[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="1050"] Author Michelle Kuo with her parents[/caption] I profess that I have been a bit of a book snob lately. I am reading 50 books in my 10 weeks of summer; 20 of which should have a focus on social justice, and 15 of which should be by or about Asian Americans. The more these categories overlap, the greedier I become. I have been desperately craving something for me, something that helps me navigate everything this world has become with the body I have.…

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